CHAPTER 11. Repossessors [7500 - 7511.5]

ARTICLE 7. Registration [7506.3 - 7506.14]

Except as otherwise provided in this article, every person entering the employ of, or contracting with, a licensee or multiple licensee after the effective date of this article shall immediately complete an application for an initial registration or a reregistration and file the appropriate application with the chief within 15 working days after the commencement of employment or contracted services for the licensee or multiple licensee for whom the applicant is employed or contracted. Applicants for registration must be at least 18 years of age. An applicant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to this section that he or she knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(a) An initial registration application shall be required of those persons who have not previously submitted an application for registration, or been registered as a registrant.

(b) A reregistration application shall be required of those persons who have previously submitted or been registered as a registrant.

(c) No registrant of a multiple licensee shall be required to file more than one application for registration or reregistration for each multiple licensee.

(d) The application form shall contain a statement informing the applicant that a false or dishonest answer to a question may be grounds for denial or subsequent suspension or revocation of a registration or reregistration.

All information obtained on the application shall be confidential pursuant to the Information Practices Act (Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 1798) of Title 1.8 of Part 4 of Division 3 of the Civil Code) and shall not be released to the public except for the registrant’s full name, the licensee’s name and address, and the registration number. The application shall be verified and shall include:

(a) The full name, residence address, residence telephone number, date and place of birth, and driver’s license number of the applicant or registrant.

(b) A statement listing any and all names used by the applicant or registrant, other than the name by which he or she is currently known. If the applicant or registrant has never used a name other than his or her true name, this fact shall be set forth in the statement.

(c) The name and address of the licensee and the date the employment or contract commenced.

(d) The title of the position occupied by the applicant or registrant and a description of his or her duties.

(e) Two recent photographs of the applicant or registrant, of a type prescribed by the chief, and two classifiable sets of his or her fingerprints, one set of which shall be forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for purposes of a background check.

(f) The bureau may impose a fee not to exceed three dollars ($3) for processing classifiable fingerprint cards submitted by applicants, excluding those submitted into an electronic fingerprint system using electronic fingerprint technology.

(a) The director may refuse to register any applicant if the individual has failed to pay any or all fines assessed pursuant to Section 7501.7 and not resolved in accordance with that section, or has committed any act that, if committed by a licensee, would be grounds for refusing to issue a license or for the suspension or revocation of a license under this chapter, or has committed acts or crimes constituting grounds for denial of a license under Section 480.

The denial shall be in writing and shall describe the basis for the denial. The denial shall inform the applicant that if he or she desires a hearing to contest the denial, the hearing shall be requested of the director, in writing, within 30 days of the issuance of the denial.

When a hearing is held under this section, it shall be conducted in accordance with Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

(b) The director may suspend or revoke a registration if the registrant has committed any act that, if committed by a licensee, would be grounds for refusing to issue a license or for the suspension or revocation of a license under this chapter.

(a) Upon the issuance of the initial registration, reregistration, or renewal, the chief shall issue to the registrant a suitable pocket identification card. At the request of the registrant, the identification card may include a photograph of the registrant. The photograph shall be of a size prescribed by the bureau. The card shall contain the name of the licensee with whom the registrant is registered. The applicant may request to be issued an enhanced pocket card that shall be composed of durable material and may incorporate technologically advanced security features. The bureau may charge a fee sufficient to reimburse the department for costs for furnishing the enhanced pocket card. The fee charged may not exceed the actual cost for system
development, maintenance, and processing necessary to provide the service, and may not exceed six dollars ($6). If the applicant does not request an enhanced card, the department shall issue a standard card at no cost to the applicant.

(b) Until the registration certificate is issued or denied, a person may be assigned to work with a temporary registration on a secure form prescribed by the chief, and issued by the qualified certificate holder, for a period not to exceed 120 days from the date the employment or contract commenced, provided the person signs a declaration under penalty of perjury that he or she has not been convicted of a felony or committed any other act constituting grounds for denial of a registration pursuant to Section 7506.8 (unless he or she declares that the conviction of a felony or the commission of a
specified act or acts occurred prior to the issuance of a registration by the chief and the conduct was not the cause of any subsequent suspension or termination of a registration), and that he or she has read and understands the provisions of this chapter.

(c) The chief shall issue an additional temporary registration for not less than 60 days nor more than 120 days, if the chief determines that the investigation of the applicant will take longer to complete than the initial temporary registration time period.

(d) No person shall perform the duties of a registrant for a licensee unless the person has in his or her possession a valid repossessor registration card, a hardcopy printout or electronic copy of the bureau’s approval from the bureau’s Internet Web site, which may
include an easily legible electronic screenshot of that information, or evidence of a valid temporary registration or registration renewal as described in subdivision (b) or (e) of this section or subdivision (f) of Section 7506.10. Every person, while engaged in any activity for which licensure is required, shall display his or her valid pocket card, as provided by regulation.

(e) A person may work as a registrant pending receipt of the registration card if he or she has been approved by the bureau and carries on his or her person a hardcopy printout or electronic copy of the bureau’s approval from the bureau’s Internet Web site, which may include an easily legible
electronic screenshot of that information, and a valid picture identification.

(a) Every initial registration shall expire one year following the date of issuance, unless renewed as provided in this section, except for those registrations issued on or after January 1, 1984, which shall expire on December 31, 1985, and every year thereafter, unless renewed as provided in this section. A renewal registration shall expire two years following the date of renewal, unless renewed as provided in this section.

(b) At least 60 days prior to the expiration, the bureau shall mail a renewal form to the registrant at the licensee’s place of business. A registrant who desires to renew his or her registration shall forward to the bureau
for each registration the properly completed renewal form obtained from the bureau, with the renewal fee prescribed by this chapter, for renewal of his or her registration. Until the registration renewal certificate is issued, a registrant may continue to work with a temporary registration renewal certificate on a secure form prescribed by the chief and issued by the qualified certificate holder that has been embossed by the bureau with the state seal for a period not to exceed 120 days from the date of expiration of the registration.

(c) A licensee shall provide to his or her registrants information regarding procedures for renewal of registration.

(d) A registration that is not renewed within 60 days after its expiration may not be renewed. If the registration is renewed within 60
days after its expiration, the registrant, as a condition precedent to renewal, shall pay the renewal fee and also pay the delinquency fee prescribed in this chapter. Registrants working with expired registrations shall pay all accrued fees and penalties prior to renewal or reregistration.

(e) The delinquency fee is 50 percent of the renewal fee in effect on the date of expiration, but not less than twenty-five dollars ($25).

(f) Upon renewal, evidence of renewal, as the director may prescribe, shall be issued to the registrant. If evidence of renewal has not been delivered to the registrant prior to the date of expiration, the registrant may present evidence of renewal to substantiate continued registration for a period not to exceed 60 days after the date of expiration or a
temporary registration renewal certificate as described in subdivision (b).

(g) A registration shall not be renewed until any and all fines assessed pursuant to this chapter and not resolved in accordance
with this chapter have been paid.

(h) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2018, and, as of January 1, 2019, is repealed.

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 429, Sec. 21. (SB 547) Effective January 1, 2018. Inoperative July 1, 2018. Repealed as of January 1, 2019, by its own provisions. See later operative version added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 429.)

(a) Every initial registration shall expire one year following the date of issuance, unless renewed as provided in this section, except for those registrations issued on or after January 1, 1984, which shall expire on December 31, 1985, and every year thereafter, unless renewed as provided in this section. A renewal registration shall expire two years following the date of renewal, unless renewed as provided in this section.

(b) At least 60 days prior to the expiration, the bureau shall mail a renewal form to the registrant at the licensee’s place of business. A registrant who desires to renew his or her registration shall forward to the bureau for each registration
the properly completed renewal form obtained from the bureau, with the renewal fee prescribed by this chapter, for renewal of his or her registration. Until the registration renewal certificate is issued, a registrant may continue to work with a temporary registration renewal certificate on a secure form prescribed by the chief and issued by the qualified certificate holder that has been embossed by the bureau with the state seal for a period not to exceed 120 days from the date of expiration of the registration.

(c) A licensee shall provide to his or her registrants information regarding procedures for renewal of registration.

(d) A registration that is not renewed within 60 days after its expiration may not be renewed. If the registration is renewed within 60 days after its
expiration, the registrant, as a condition precedent to renewal, shall pay the renewal fee and also pay the delinquency fee prescribed in this chapter. Registrants working with expired
registrations shall pay all accrued fees and penalties prior to renewal or reregistration.

(e) Upon renewal, evidence of renewal, as the director may prescribe, shall be issued to the registrant. If evidence of renewal has not been delivered to the registrant prior to the date of expiration, the registrant may present evidence of renewal to substantiate continued registration for a period not to exceed 60 days after the date of expiration or a temporary registration renewal certificate, as described in subdivision (b).

(f) A registration shall not be renewed until any and all fines assessed pursuant to this chapter and not resolved in accordance with this chapter have been paid.

(a) Each registration is valid until the registrant ceases performing services for the licensee indicated on the registration card or until the registration expires.

(b) Each person registered under this article shall notify the chief, in writing, within 30 days of any change in employment or contract status with a licensee. If the person ceases to be employed by or perform services for a licensee, the licensee shall notify the chief, in writing, within 30 days. The registered individual shall surrender his or her registration card to the licensee. The licensee shall forward the registration card to the chief. If at some subsequent time the person is again employed or retained by a licensee, he or she shall apply for reregistration in the manner provided in this article.

(c) Each registrant, while registered, shall notify the chief, in writing, within 30 days after any change in his or her residence address.

The proceedings under this article shall be conducted in accordance with Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and the director shall have all the powers granted therein.

(a) The licensee shall at all times be responsible for ascertaining that his or her registrants are currently registered or have made proper application for registration as provided in this article. The licensee may not have in his or her employment or under contract a person subject to registration who has not registered within the time required or whose registration has expired or been revoked, denied, suspended, or canceled.

(b) The bureau shall keep current and accurate records of all persons registered under this article.

If the chief determines that continued services by an applicant for registration in his or her current capacity may present undue hazard to public safety, the licensee, upon proper notification from the chief, shall suspend the applicant from rendering services in that capacity until the licensee is notified in writing by the chief within 60 days from the date of notification of suspension that the applicant’s registration has been approved or denied.